Gold cluster incorporated Rhenium disulfide: An efficient catalyst towards electrochemical and photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction

• Published in: Electrochimica acta Vol. 446; p. 142073
• Main Authors: Vijayan, Aruna, Nair, Lakshmi V., Sandhyarani, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2023
• Subjects: Au cluster; Electrocatalyst; Hydrogen evolution reaction; photoelectrocatalyst; Rhenium disulfide; Transition metal dichalcogenide; photoelectrocatalyst; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Electrocatalyst; Rhenium disulfide; Au cluster; Transition metal dichalcogenide
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2023.142073

Rhenium disulfide (ReS2) is an emerging member of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) family. It attracts recent research interest due to its tunable bandgap, weak interlayer coupling, and layer-independent optoelectronic properties. This work demonstrates a gold cluster incorporated ReS2 as a robust hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. Au cluster is synthesized via the solid-state grinding method and mixed with ReS2 by mechanical mixing. The excellent catalytic activity of the ReS2-Au cluster is observed both in photoelectrochemical and electrochemical studies. Synergistic interaction between the Au cluster and ReS2 reinforces light absorption of the ReS2-Au cluster, especially within the visible region, and boosts the photoelectrochemical properties of the composite. The photoelectrochemical mechanism of the ReS2-Au cluster is investigated in detail using Mott-Schottky analysis. This work is anticipated to provide new insight into the photoelectrochemical properties of ReS2 and metal-cluster-sensitized TMD nanocomposites.
[Display omitted]